


the stars are bound to change

by haipollai



Category: Captain America (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Olympics, Alternate Universe - Snowboarders, F/F, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-11
Updated: 2014-02-11
Packaged: 2018-01-11 19:12:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1176835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haipollai/pseuds/haipollai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Russian prodigy," Sharon chimes in but it seems to crack Bucky's shell and he actually gives them a small derisive smile. "News lapped it up. American skating for Russia. How devastating and so on, usual crap." She waves one hand dismissively.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the stars are bound to change

Steve looks at the kid in his living room. He knows rationally, James Barnes isn't a kid, but he looks so young and so lost there on his couch Steve can't help but think of him as a kid.

"What do you think, Steve?" Sharon asks, sprawled over the old arm chair they had shoved in the corner. Nick stands in the middle of the room, commanding attention.

"Rikki's moving to Denver, you have the room," Nick says.

"I can help with rent," Bucky says, speaking up for one of the first times. He looks so anxious that part of Steve wants to shake him just to make his expression change.

"Don't need to," Sharon says. "House is in the family. Just groceries, bills and chores." She looks at Steve and he finally nods.

"Yea, should be fine. Can carpool up to the slope for training."

"Good." Nick squeezes Bucky's shoulder. Supportive is an odd look for Nick Fury but Bucky looks grateful for anything. "Take tomorrow off," he says to Steve. "Help him get settled. Then I'll see you both up top." The room is oddly quiet when he leaves and Steve comes around to sit down on the couch next to Bucky who still looks like he might bolt.

"So-"

"I don't mean to impose," Bucky interrupts. "I really- It was Nick's idea. I can-"

"It's _fine_. Seriously." Steve manages a smile for him. "But I thought you were a skater?"

"Russian prodigy," Sharon chimes in but it seems to crack Bucky's shell and he actually gives them a small derisive smile. "News lapped it up. American skating for Russia. How devastating and so on, usual crap." She waves one hand dismissively. Sharon got on the wrong side of the media when she was sixteen and someone photographed her making out with a girl after the X Games and everyone had been talking about if a lesbian was a good example to other girls and her obvious immaturity. She hasn't had much patience for the media ever since.

"I was. I guess. Until we fucked up at the Olympics and I hurt my back." He shrugs.

"And now you snowboard?" Steve asks.

"I've been snowboarding since I was eight," Bucky says stiffly. "Did it during the off season."

Steve smiles, he hadn't meant to put Bucky on the defensive. "Good, so don't have to help you learn to stand on a board," he says teasingly.

Bucky hesitantly smiles back. "Doubt you could help me much anyway, I'm goofy-footed."

"Oh god, are you two flirting? I haven't had coffee yet." Sharon unwinds herself from the chair and shuffles off to the kitchen.

Steve throws a pillow after her but keeps his attention on Bucky. The tension hasn't really left him. "You need help getting your things in?"

"Oh, no. I only have a suitcase. You can just point the way…"

Steve rolls his eyes and gets himself to his feet. "Come on," he holds a hand out for Bucky and after a second, he takes it and lets Steve drag him up. "I'll do more than point. Might still have some of Rikki's crap in it. So you know, sorry." Bucky's suitcase is sitting in the front hall. It's small, Steve would probably be able to fit a week or two of clothes in it. Maybe. "That's it?"

"I sold a lot when I left Russia." He kicks at one of the bag's wheels. "Even disgraced skaters can make some good money on their used skates."

Steve reaches out without thinking and rests his hand on Bucky's shoulder. "Come on man, upstairs. Then breakfast. Do you have a board here? Cause I know the best shop and the owner owes me." He only lets go of Bucky when he has to maneuver so the bag is between them and they can haul it up the stairs together.

"I don't. My last one is too small now."

"Good, we'll go after breakfast."

"Steve." He flushes and stares down at their feet until Steve comes to a stop outside of Rikki's old room. "Thank you. You don't even know me and-"

"Nick's vouching for you. Welcome back to America I guess." He squeezes his shoulder. "Get settled, gonna get on real pants and throw something together to eat." He shuffles off to his room, taking one quick glance back just as Bucky's door closes.

-

Steve lays back in the snow and closes his eyes against the brightness of the sky. The coolness of the snow seeps through his outerwear and he thinks about getting up but instead decides to stay there for a little bit longer.

"If you get pneumonia, I'm not coaching you anymore."

He can feel the shadow fall over him and opens his eyes to see Nick leaning over him. "You know me Nick, takes more than a little cold to lay me out." He gets up to his feet and brushes the snow off of him. Nick rolls his eyes but smiles. He looks around and realizes Nick came down by himself. "Where's Bucky?"

"Doing a few runs on his own to loosen up. Come on."

"How is he?"

Nick shoots him a look out of the corner of his eye as Steve busies himself with his board. "He's good. Gotta build up his ranking before he's any threat to you."

Steve gives him a look right back and drops his board to the snow to get his left foot into the bindings before they head over to the lift. "I wasn't expecting him at the X-Games tomorrow. More like, he's gonna be ok? It's a big change."

"He'll be ok. The kid's fucking stubborn, guess his old partner fucked him up and now he's got an entire country to prove wrong." He crouches down beside Steve. "Don't know if any of his drive is worth it, but fuck knows I wouldn't bet against him just yet."

Steve rests his arms on his knees and tests the binding just for something to do while he thinks. "He's small, you should talk to Dum-Dum. See about throwing him down the halfpipe."

"Knew a good idea would fall out of that pretty blonde head." He gets to his feet and gestures for Steve to follow, but not actually waiting for him. "But enough, you have titles to hold onto, _Captain_."

"Fuck that nickname," Steve sighs. It had been a stupid joke. Someone had heard the hockey captain getting called Captain America, and had insisted the snowboarders needed their own captain. Steve had had the most medals at those games so far and the title had fallen on him, to Sharon, Sam and Nick's endless amusement. "And fuck you," he adds when Nick just laughs.

"Whadya going to do? Stop winning?"

Steve rolls his eyes and gives up on the argument.

-

Bucky was seventeen when he showed up on Steve's couch. It was a year after the Vancouver Olympics and after that first month, they don't see each other much for the rest of the season. Nick stays with Bucky in Park City, focusing first on smaller events, getting his ranking up.

Steve works with Sharon, and goes to the bigger events. He's not going to give up, not at twenty two, when each time he goes off a jump, moving his body into the right twists and turns and it still feels perfect. It feels like it's going to last forever.

Sometimes they talk on the phone, only a little bit at first, Bucky needing help getting around town, or trying to find where any spare light bulbs are kept. The calls somehow become more frequent, especially when they're in the same time zone. Steve never plans on looking out for Bucky, he doesn't know him like he knows Sharon. Hasn't had a chance to see the despair of crashing on the course or the exhilaration of sticking it and getting on the podium. He doesn't _know_ Bucky, not as a boarder.

But he knows that Bucky curses in Russian cause he likes the harsh syllables, and he has a younger sister at boarding school in Germany. He meets Steve's mom when she comes by to pick up one of his dog's toys. Bucky's learned that Steve would eat cereal for all his meals if he could, and leaves sketchbooks around the house. It's something like friendship.

After too much free beer thanks to Budweiser's sponsorship, he ends up sandwiched between Dernier and Sam and Sam keeps trying to explain something about dreaming about flying as a kid and somehow that drove him to skiing, and he tells Sam that sticking a landing is as good as sex for him. Sam looks at him like he's insane but Dernier insists on a toast to all of Steve's really bad experiences in bed.

Sharon chooses that time to come over, dragging along Jessica with her, and drops into Steve's lap. He groans in mock pain but doesn't try to shove her off.

"Sharon!" Dernier drawls, voice thick with beer and his own French accent. "Tell us about Steve's sex life."

Sharon makes a face and pokes Steve's cheek. "He doesn't have a sex life."

"I do too." He's whining but doesn't care.

"If it's only with your hand it doesn't count," Sam says. "What about that guy you're texting with?"

Sharon squirms around, ignoring Steve's pained noises and 'your ass is bony' so she can poke him in the cheek. "Is that Barnes? Are you being a creeper? He's like five years younger than you."

"He's eighteen get the fuck off of me." He shoots Jessica a sad look, hoping he can convince her to jump in and drag Sharon away.

She just smiles. "Barnes?" She asks, kneeling down to get Sharon's attention back on her. "Like Rikki?"

"Same name, no relation. He lives with us now while training with Nick." She throws her arms around Jessica and uses her to slide off of Steve's lap. "Definitely a cutie." Steve resists kicking her, but only just. He'd never hear the end of it if he actually hurt her.

"He's in a new city on his own, just trying to help out," he says, slumping down further in the couch, regretting saying anything about sex in the first place.

"With your dick?" Sam asks. "Cause that's not helpful dude."

"Fuck all of you. I haven't even thought about him that way." Which is a small lie. He did early on, before he and Sharon took off and there were other things to think about than Bucky's lips. From the smirk Sharon gives him, she knows he's lying.

-

Somewhere in their schedules they end up with a month where they're both back home at the same time. Steve's immediately struck by how much more relaxed Bucky looks. He stretches out on the couch to watch TV and some of his things are mixed with Steve's and Sharon's.

Steve expects it to be awkward at first, figuring out how to actually live together since they never really had a chance before. But they fit together easier than he expects. Their conversations continue from those they shared on the phone only mixed with 'we need eggs' and 'stop leaving your shit on the stairs'. By the end of the week, Bucky sprawls over while they're watching Batman and rests his head in Steve's lap. Steve doesn't think twice of curling his fingers in Bucky's hair which has also grown out and falls around his face in loose waves.

Sharon gives him a knowing smirk but doesn't comment.

Steve makes a promise to himself that he's not going to do anything with Bucky until Bucky's at least participating in 5star events, he won't be a distraction to him. He glances down at Bucky with his eyes half closed, snorting at something on the screen. As long as Bucky doesn't take too long getting there.

-

Bucky goes with them to the X-Games. It had been Nick's idea and since Jessica was going but not competing, he'd have company in the stands. Steve's a little bit nervous about leaving Bucky in the care of Sharon's girlfriend but Bucky seems excited about the chance to go so Steve can't say no.

After the first night, he finds that Dernier and the Falsworth siblings have corralled him back to the hotel they're all at and started giving him drinks. Steve keeps an arm around him but doesn't try to drag him out. Not until Bucky starts to droop on his shoulder.

Steve realizes he isn't too steady on his feet either but manages to get them both back to their room.

"You're nicer than ice skaters," Bucky mumbles when Steve drops him into bed. He sprawls out like a starfish, not making any effort to get out of his clothes. "Or at least the ones I knew."

"Your partner?"

Bucky nods wordlessly and reaches out with one hand. Steve could ignore it, pretend he doesn't see it but instead finds himself stretching out beside him, trapping one of Bucky's arms under his chest. "She would do anything to get gold, didn't care-" he interrupts himself with a yawn. "Didn't care about anyone she had to stomp on."

"I'm sorry."

"Nah. Happier now," Bucky says. Steve rolls onto his side to look down at Bucky. His eyes are closed and he looks truly relaxed, like he might fall asleep at any minute. "When I first talked to Nick and he suggested I live with you guys, I was fucking terrified it'd be like the house they had me in for training." Steve clenches his hands in the sheets so he doesn't reach out and touch despite how badly he wants to.

"Wasn't there a love story with you two?"

Bucky makes a face but his eyes stay closed. "All propaganda. Tried to make it real. Didn't work." His eyes finally open and he looks right at Steve. "Steve-"

"No." He sits up quickly, almost falling back down when the room spins dangerously around him. "No. I'm not gonna- I'm not gonna fuck this up for you."

He can feel Bucky poking at him with a foot and he doesn't stop even when he tries to smack it away. Steve finally twists around to look at him. "I'm not a kid. I can make my own decisions." He pushes himself up and it looks like he might try to drag Steve back.

"It's not about that," he says quickly, holding up a hand to try to create space. "I want to be equals first, ok? Out- out there." He waves vaguely towards the window, trying to indicate everything, the course set up for the event. The crowd and sponsorships and all of it.

Bucky eyes him suspiciously as if convinced Steve was still insulting him somehow but eventually flops backward. "You're such a loser."

"Fuck you."

"That's what I'm _trying_ to get you to do." He pokes at Steve with his toe again so this time Steve grabs his ankle. "Half your friends think we're fucking already."

He works Bucky's shoe off as a way to avoid answering and throws it towards the door. Bucky holds out the other foot and with a reluctant sigh Steve gets that one off as well. "They're all gossips. Get some sleep."

"Whatever, I'm not the one boarding tomorrow. Enjoy your hangover, asshole." He throws his shirt at Steve's back as he makes his way to the other bed. Steve grins at him before turning off the light.

He wakes Bucky up at nine in the morning by jumping on his bed.

-

Bucky smirks at him at the top of a run at Burton High Fives, before launching himself down the slope. Bucky was selected to be one of the rookie riders at the event even though he was slightly older than the others. They're the only two Americans competing in men's slopestyle. Especially not with the event in New Zealand, but when Bucky had been invited Steve didn't feel right turning down his invitation.

Burton had jumped on the promotional potential of two Americans heading Down Under together and gave Bucky a small handheld camera to document it all.

Steve wonders if he has it on him as he watches him go off the first jump before disappearing out of view. There are a number of other riders to go before Steve, giving him time to sit there and think. With just them and Nick on the trip, there had suddenly been more tension. Steve feels Bucky looking at him more, not sure if he's imagining it or it's that stupid camera.

He remembers his promise to himself to wait until Bucky was here, at a 5star event. And here they are.

The official is beckoning Steve up to the starting line finally and he drops his board to the ground, getting his feet in and making sure he's strapped in. He has to get to the end of the run before he can think about kissing anyone. This is their second run, so he can show off a little bit, try out tricks in competition instead of only under Nick's critical eye.

The run feels good, solid, he sticks the landings with only a few wobbles. He pumps the air when he reaches the bottom, knowing that even if he doesn't reach the top he'll have a good points boost under his belt. Bucky is waiting at the bottom and he races over to hug him when the points are announced. There's still a few writers after him, but Steve still managed somehow to get himself in first.

Bucky keeps arm around Steve as they wait for the last riders.

"I gotta question," he finally says.

"I might have an answer," Steve bumps his shoulder against Bucky.

"When you said you wanted to wait until we were equals or whatever, what's your criteria?"

Steve tugs the mask up over his face to hide the blush that always spreads too quickly over his cheeks, and keeps his eyes on the large screen showing the current rider. Bucky isn't looking at him but he's tense where they're pressed together. "Something like this," he finally says.

"Which means?"

"Which means once I know if I'm making bank tonight, I was gonna drag you back to the hotel room and kiss you against the wall. How does that sound?" It comes out gruffer than Steve intends but he's strangely conscious of everyone around them. The next rider finishes up before Bucky answers and Steve pulls away to go congratulate the guy.

He stays with him until the final rider comes down and they know the final rankings. Steve comes in second but he still feels good about it. Next time.

And Bucky's there in the crowd, focused on him. He disappears before the end of the awards being handed out and he gives no hint where he's gone so Steve heads back to his room. Maybe Bucky's become sick of waiting for him.

Except the light is on in his room when he gets there and before he can register who else is there, Bucky's pushing him against the wall and kissing him. "Sorry, got impatient," he breathes. Steve groans into the kiss and pushes Bucky backwards towards the bed.

"It's ok, fuck, it's ok."

Bucky's hands are on his jacket and tugging at it and getting the wet layers off of Steve before they both crash together into bed.

-

Steve realizes that thinking he would be a distraction to someone trained to succeed as Bucky had been was really stupid. "Should have been doing this for years," he tells Bucky when they're back home. They have a few weeks before Bucky has an event up in Washington to get to.

There's a scar on Bucky's palm from where he grabbed a skate years ago. Steve kisses it now, hearing Bucky suck in a sharp breath. "I kind of like that we waited," Bucky says quietly. "Got to know you. Maybe we waited a bit too _long_ ," he says teasingly. "But it's ok."

"Good enough."

-

Bucky is the first one who comes charging at him as he sticks the final landing and brings himself to a stop. He can't even get his feet out of the bindings before Bucky's tackled him to the ground, already packed hard from everyone who has done the course before him. Steve gasps for air but doesn't try to push Bucky off. "You were fucking gorgeous," he hisses in Steve's ear.

"You're fucking heavy," Steve retorts but he can't stop smiling and there's no bite to his words. Bucky finally rolls off. Nick is standing there rolling his eyes at them and Steve quickly gets his board off before his score is announced. Dernier and a guy from Norway who everyone calls Vision are also hanging out down at the bottom. The three of them had the highest scores so far and only one rider is after Steve.

Bucky cheers in his ear when Steve takes first by- "Fuck," he breathes. He'd thrown himself into this run, it was the Olympics after all, but he hadn't expected that. Dernier claps him on the back and the Vision holds out his fist for a bump. Steve barely reacts to any of it, still slightly shellshocked.

"Doesn't fucking matter what Stark tries to pull now, you've got this Steve," Bucky says, still grinning even though Steve's score pushed him down to bronze and maybe out of the medals completely.

"Buck-"

"Don't you fucking dare," Bucky cuts him off and cuffs him lightly on the arm. "Focus." They're all watching the screen as Stark cuts through the snow and fucks up a landing. That's it. They all know it. Dernier is ruffling his hair and there are cheers from the Americans in the crowd. Steve tries to avoid looking too thrilled until Stark is at the bottom and he can apologize to the guy. He's butted heads with the Canadian before but Steve doesn't like to see him bomb like that.

But then Nick's coming over with a flag and throws it over his head and Steve's cheeks hurt from smiling because he _won_.

-

Steve flops into bed to smirk up at Bucky as the door closes. The medal is heavy around his neck. Bucky keeps fidgeting with his own, bronze to Steve's gold. "We did it." His eyes fall on Steve's medal and he drops to his knees between Steve's thighs. "You did it. Fuck, Steve."

He reaches up to grab the ribbon Bucky's medal hangs from and yanks him down for a kiss. It's not much more than a press of teeth and lips together before Bucky shifts and his tongue darts out, tangling with Steve's. He reaches for Bucky's jacket, fumbling with the zipper to get it down and open. Bucky doesn't break the kiss to shrug the jacket off, throwing it away. Underneath he has on a t-shirt but Steve just shoves that up to get his hands on Bucky's skin.

Bucky sighs into the kiss, breaking away completely when Steve pinches a nipple, sitting up and crossing his arms over his chest. "This is about you, Rogers. You won the fucking gold."

"You still medaled."

They've barely done anything but Bucky looks a mess, hair still messed up from his hat, his shirt bunched up by his arm pits and his lips red and swollen from their messy kiss. Steve sucks on his lower lip, pretty sure he doesn't look much better. He takes advantage of Bucky being petulant to get his own jacket and shirt off and immediately gets his hands on Bucky again, curling his fingers around his hips. Even after muscling up, even after his body adjusting from skating to snowboarding, he's still smaller than Steve and his hands look big against his stomach.

He rubs his thumbs in circles over Bucky's skin but Bucky squirms free and moves down Steve's body, resting a hand on his chest when he tries to sit up. He can feel Bucky quickly opening up his pants, freeing his erection. His mouth is hot and wet and Steve lets himself arch up, thrusting in deeper. Bucky hums in approval and for a few moments, just lets Steve fuck his mouth but then his hands grip Steve's hips and push down, pinning him to the bed.

"Bucky," Steve groans as Bucky slides up so only the tip is between his lips and he teases with the tip of his tongue. "Bucky I want to fuck you." Bucky's response is to press his tongue against the sensitive spot below the head of his dick and Steve lets out a strangled moan. He reaches down blindly, and finds the ribbon of Bucky's medal and tugs until Bucky has to slide back up.

"And what is wrong with a congratulatory blow job?" His voice is raspy and the sound goes straight to Steve's dick. Part of him wants to shove Bucky back down and just let him continue what he was doing. Instead he moves his grip down to the bronze medal and kisses it.

"Or we could fuck," Steve suggests, flicking his tongue over the medal's edge. "Since you won a medal too."

Bucky's eyes go wide and he nods. "Yea, ok. Or that." He pulls back so they can both get their pants off and Bucky goes to find where they stashed the lube in the suitcase. He wastes no time squeezing some out onto his fingers as he straddles Steve and gets a finger inside of himself. Any other time Steve would be more than happy to watch Bucky prepare himself but he's already too close. So he wraps one hand around Bucky's dick, stroking slow and leisurely and sucks one finger until it's slick with saliva to help Bucky prepare himself. " _Fuck_ ," Bucky curses, pressing back against their hands.

They don't take too much time before Steve is removing his finger and grabbing the lube to spread over his erection and helping Bucky situate himself just right. Bucky looks him right in the eye before dropping down in one move. Steve bites his lower lip hard at the sudden tight heat around him.

Bucky braces his hands on Steve's chest, his fingers curling in the ribbon around his neck as he starts to move. Steve's eyes follow the bounce of Bucky's own medal. He can't entirely believe that they're here together, they've made it. He arches up to press his mouth to Bucky's, letting him muffle any noises he makes. Bucky's fingers pull on the ribbon until it digs into his neck almost painfully but he doesn't care.

They don't last long, too fast and too desperate. Steve comes with Bucky's name on his lips, hoping that no one around them is listening too closely even if sex in the athletes' village is the favorite past time.

"That," Bucky gasps after a minute, lifting his medal up and making a face at the streak of come on it before simply licking it off. Steve gapes slightly as he watches. "That was hotter than I expected," he says matter of factly.

"Fucking a winner is always hot," Steve says.

"You're an arrogant asshole when you win."

"You're no better," he retorts with a smile to try to cut any sting in his words. He gives Bucky one more kiss before getting up to find something to clean them off with. Bucky stays in bed but props himself up with an elbow to watch him go.

"Hey Steve," he says almost too quietly for Steve to hear in the bathroom. "I'm really happy, that I'm here and won this. With you. It feels good."

Steve lies back down next to him and pulls Bucky close, kissing the top of his head, his forehead, cheeks, nose all leading to his lips. "Happy you're here too. And you're going to kill it in half pipe too, got it?"

"Yea, got it." Bucky laughs softly and curls a hand in his hair to kiss him again. Their medals clang as they hit each other before being caught between their bodies.

-

Sharon looks up as Jessica comes down the hallway towards her. "How long have you been sitting there?" she asks as she crouches down beside her outside Steve and Bucky's room.

"About ten minutes. They're really loud." She scrunches up her face to show exactly how she feels about the noises the two boys have been making in their own bedroom.

Jessica rolls her eyes and settles next to her, resting her head on Sharon's shoulder. "Well tomorrow we'll have to follow their example."

Sharon laughs, and gets an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer and kissing her cheek with a loud smack. "Fuck yes. For the gold, baby."


End file.
